Honey Journal #25
Name: Hachiminoya Summer Honey
You can buy it: On the Internet here
Country: Japan
Color: Amber
Flavor: Dark cherries and golden raisins.
Consistency: Medium thick
Fragrance: A hillside of wildflowers in bloom.
Notes:
This honey was generously provided by a listener who spends a lot of time in Japan. He was so concerned that the jar might break in transit that he brought it back with him to Cleveland and then shipped it from there to me.
It comes in a cute little jar with a brass top. You'd never see a honey jar this small in the US. I know it's a stereotype, but it fits Japan, a country that I have never been to, but very much wish to experience.
The web site of Hachiminoya Honey is in Japanese, but you can get a very rough English translation through Google. Apparently, Hachiminoya has its own store in the city of Nishinomiya. It's something of a fantasy of mine to open a store in Los Angeles dedicated to nothing but honey. I imagine it would have dozens of different brands from all over the USA and the world. Somehow I can't convince myself that this idea would fly. Cast a bit too narrow, I fear.
But maybe I'm wrong. My dear sister-in-law, Siobhan, the widow of my beloved brother, Mark, manages the famous Cheese Store in Beverly Hills. The place is not much bigger than a very large walk in closet, but it's overflowing with the finest most delicious cheeses from all over the globe. You may you think you've had good cheese, but I'm not sure you can fully make that claim until you sample some of the cheeses at the Cheese Store. It's a Beverly Hills institution now, a long time success story. If you ever visit, Los Angeles it's a must-see stop, assuming you like cheese. If you do go, ask for Siobhan and the Estrin family discount.
So, if a cheese shop in a very large walk in closet can succeed, can a honey store in, say, a regular sized closet make a go of it?
Back to the honey: I thoroughly enjoyed the cherry and raisin flavor of this honey, but its stand out quality is its wildflower fragrance. Many honeys have no fragrance at all. This one is like a flower bouquet from your corner florist. Why does one pure honey have no fragrance and this one have so much? It's a question I will seek an answer to.